Flood victim raps the Environment Agency

A CHOBHAM resident whose home has been flooded twice in the space of a year has criticised the Environment Agency (EA) for failing to take action over a raised pathway which he says has worsened the drainage problems in the village.

A CHOBHAM resident whose home has been flooded twice in the space of a year has criticised the Environment Agency (EA) for failing to take action over a raised pathway which he says has worsened the drainage problems in the village.

Beleaguered David Chitty, of Sandpit Hall Road, attended a meeting organised by Surrey County Council for villagers who were worst hit by the floods.

And though Mr Chitty said the meeting was productive, he was annoyed the agency said it was unable to insist on changes to an access road, which would reduce the flooding risk in that area.

Between midnight on Thursday July 19 and Friday 20, the village recorded 63.2 millimetres of rain on the EA’s rain gauge, 45mm of which fell in the hour between 11am and noon and flooded dozens of homes.

Mr Chitty said: “One of the issues that came up was the eastern side of the village that flooded. We were all affected by a farm access road off the Chertsey Road, which has been raised and restricts the flow of water on the flood plain, forcing the water into a bottleneck.

“I spoke to the EA representatives about it and they said that they were aware of the problem but could do little about it.”

He added: “This has worsened the situation for people living on Chertsey Road and over at Sandpit Hall Road because the access road links the two.

“It runs right across the river and doesn’t allow the plain to work properly. Flooding like this will continue to happen if the road is not altered.

“For a few pounds you could save people a lot of money and suffering. It seems that there is inactivity because the EA is scared of taking the necessary action.”

But a spokesman for the EA said: “It is one of the things that needs to be looked at by the landowners. We don’t have any authority on making people adjust a piece of land. We are aware of the problem but it is up to the local council.”

Meanwhile, Surrey Heath Borough Council met with other authorities and agencies on Thursday to discuss the issues surrounding the flooding.

Representatives from the county council, Thames Water Company and the EA, who all have some responsibility to address flooding issues, joined the council.

Cllr Keith Bush, portfolio holder for emergency planning, said: “This meeting was just the first stage in exploring how local authorities and agencies with flooding responsibilities in the Surrey Heath area can work even better together in the event of an emergency.

“It did seem clear that this intense rain would have seriously challenged any emergency procedures we had put in place.

“We did everything we could but are constantly looking at the way we react to emergencies. We aim to keep the public informed at every stage.”

Villagers are being reminded they can better protect themselves from flooding by buying sandbags, protective door boards and by blocking air vents at the base of their houses.